Skipping rope



June 28, 1960 w. RECALMA SKIPPING ROPE Filed June'lO, 1959 United States Patent SKHPING ROPE William Recalma, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada Filed June 10, 1959, Ser. No. 819,264

4 Claims. (Cl. 27275) This invention relates to skipping ropes for children, more particularly having reference to a double rope to be turned by two participants.

In the art to which the invention relates single skipping ropes are commonly in use and these may include handles at the ends to be grasped by the users. To provide a double rope in which two ropes are turned in opposite directions two separate ropes are required, these having to be separately held and turned.

The present invention combines two ropes as a single unit, and by means of tandem swivel connections to the handles and by making the ropes of unequal length they may be turned together and rotated oppositely, each participant requiring to use only the one hand in turning the ropes.

In the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is a plan view of a pair of ropes in accordance with my invention, shown extended and in part broken away and in part sectioned.

Fig. 2 shows a skeletion view of a pair of ropes extended as they would be placed on the ground preparatory to causing the ropes to turn, the ropes being shown broken away.

Fig. 3 shows two rope sections taken by themselves and illustrating the use of end and center sections of difierent weights.

Fig. 4 is a detail enlarged view of a section of rope with a spinning weight, the latter being shown in section.

The skipping rope as herein disclosed is made up of two ropes 1 and 2 of unequal length, so that when turned in opposite directions one rope may pass the other. These ropes are to be attached .to handles 3, preferably of wire twisted to provide connecting loops 4 and the ends 5 turned inward to engage hand grips 6 of wood or plastic.

For attachment of the ropes to the handles two swivel connections are used for each end connected in tandem. These consist of outer swivels 7 to which the handles connect by the loops 4, and to these swivels are connected inner swivels 8 by means of rings 9. The shorter rope attaches to the inner swivels and the longer to the outer swivels by means of the rings 9. Swivel connecting rings 10 may be used in attachment of the longer ropes or they may attach directly to the rings 9. These swivels are preferably of a ball bearing type in common use, but any swivel like connection for each rope could be employed so long as the ropes are free to turn easily Without binding and separate connect-ions are provided for each rope so that they may turn independently.

Where extremely light, thin ropes are used, such as plastic ropes and the like, it may be desirable to weight the ropes to facilitate their turning by adding to the centrifugal pull on the ropes. For this I provide weights 'ice 11 of lead or other heavy substance fixed on the ropes and encased in a rubber or like cushioning cover 12, as shown in Figure 4. Such weights are not essential, but are a convenience, and they are not used on ropes of sufiicient weight to spin easily.

Instead of weights on the ropes, the ropes could be made with heavier center sections, as shown in Figure 4. In this light end sections 13 are provided with heavier center sections 14, the ratio, while not restricted, preferably being twenty-five percent to each end section and fifty percent to the center section.

Causing the ropes to spin is not done as with ordinary skipping ropes, but may be accomplished in any one of several ways. The simplest is to lay the ropes extended on the ground, as shown in Figure 2, with the ropes 15 and 16 spaced apart. The handles 17 would be grasped by the spinners and to the handles is imparted a quick upward movement. This starts the ropes spinning in opposite directions and the spinning may be continued by imparting a continuous rhythmic up and down movement to the handles. The spinning may be started by imparting the movement to oneor both handles. In this showing a different form of handle is suggested, but any preferred form may be used.

A further way to start the rope spinning is to hold the handles with the ropes extended between the spinners and jiggle the handles up and down.

i For best results ropes of sufiicient weight to centrifugally extend the spinning ropes fully outward are used, but light ropes can be employed, or they can be weighted as shown in Figures 3 and 4, either by using heavier center sections or weights.

The ropes may be any desired length, but twelve to twenty-five 'feet is usual. The two ropes of a set may be of different colors to give a more colorful elfect to the spinning ropes.

While I have herein disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, changes would readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, but in so far as such changes come within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims they would be considered a part hereof.

What I claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A skipping rope comprising a pair of handles, a pair of ropes of unequal length, swivel means connecting the longer rope to said handles, and swivel means connecting the shorter rope to the swivel means for the longer rope.

2. A skipping rope comprising a pair of handles, inner and outer swivels connected in tandem for each handle, said handles attaching to the outer swivels, a skipping rope connected to the outer swivels, and a further skipping rope connected to the inner swivels to turn thereon, said further rope being of less length than the rope connected to the outer swivels.

3. A skipping rope as in claim 2 in which the skipping ropes are weighted in a manner to increase the centrifugal force applied to the ropes when spinning.

4. A device as set out in claim 3 in which the weighting of the ropes consists in attaching a weight centrally to each rope and sheathing the weights with cushioning material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,698 Beckh Apr. 25, 1899 1,893,173 Kreutzer Jan. 3, 1933 2,723,121 Cartwright et a1. Nov. 8, 1955 

